'Rioting is not one of the three Rs': Liberals say protesting students should give up ice-creams

Liberal MPs have attacked the "rioting" students who took a day off school to protest the government's climate change policies, with one challenging them to swear off ice-cream to lower emissions.

An estimated 15,000 students marched in cities and regional towns around the country on Friday - despite warnings they could face disciplinary action for not attending school.

Students hold placards during Friday's climate protest in Melbourne.Credit:Luis Ascui

Liberal senator James McGrath identified a spelling error in a placard held by one student at the protest, circling it in a photograph he posted on his Facebook page. The sign, which targeted Prime Minister Scott Morrison directly, misspelt "jealous" as "jelous".

"Given some of the creative spelling on display at yesterday’s [Queensland Teachers Union]-endorsed muck-up day, perhaps these children’s teachers and parents might like to refocus their attention on the three Rs, of which rioting is not one of them," Senator McGrath said.

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Liberal MP Craig Kelly - who sits on the House of Representatives' environment and energy committee - told Fairfax Media that if the children were serious about combating climate change they should forgo ice-creams and hamburgers.

"Given that the agricultural sector and the dairy sector is such a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, they should say they're going to go without ice-creams for 12 months," he said.

"If they're really serious they should make a commitment - no ice-cream, no hamburgers and no trips to the Gold Coast for schoolies, because of all the emissions from the airplanes."

Let them not eat cake: Liberal MP Craig Kelly.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The comments followed those of Resources Minister Matt Canavan, who told 2GB radio on Friday: "The best thing you'll learn about going to a protest is how to join the dole queue.

"Because that's what your future life will look like: up in a line asking for a handout, not actually taking charge for your life and getting a real job."

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Earlier in the week, Mr Morrison said the government did not support "schools being turned into Parliaments ... what we want is more learning in schools and less activism in schools".

Labor leader Bill Shorten said it was rich of the government to "lecture" students about "missing a couple of hours at school" when its parliamentary sitting calendar for 2019 consisted of so few sitting days in early part of the year.

"The kids might have a look at Mr Morrison and say, well, you don't even go to work mate," Mr Shorten said.